Hillary Clinton’s Lonesome White Male Supporters

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CreditAntony Hare

By Sridhar Pappu

Oct. 4, 2016

Brian Methe, an artist who lives in Cincinnati, had a thought. Wouldn’t it help the chances of his preferred presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, if he were to design a simple, powerful image that could have the same effect as the “Hope” poster made by Shepard Fairey for Barack Obama’s 2008 run?

So Mr. Methe, 41, who has done graphic design work for the bands Wilco and the Avett Brothers, among others, created a rendering of Hillary Clinton that shows her in profile, with the slogan “I’m With Her” in the upper right corner. The color scheme is red, white and blue.

He was proud of what he had made, but when the image hit social media, the reactions from fellow adult males on Facebook were often angry:

“Does it come with darts?”

“I want the orange jumpsuit version.”

“I’ll use it as toilet paper.”

He should not have been surprised. As Mr. Methe said, being a white male Clinton supporter is “not a popular position,” something many polls have found as well. A New York Times/CBS News poll released on Sept. 15 showed that Donald J. Trump had the support of 57 percent of white males, while 33 percent supported Mrs. Clinton.

Within the white male demographic, 37 percent of those who are college-educated support Mrs. Clinton, versus 48 percent for Mr. Trump, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll. Among white men without college educations, Mr. Trump’s lead is even greater: 76 percent to 17 percent.

“But why do people feel the need to do this hyper-vetting of Hillary Clinton?” said Mr. Methe, who has offered to volunteer for the Clinton campaign. “Is it because she is a Clinton, because she is attached to the Clinton dynasty, or is it simply because she is a woman?

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Brian Methe, an artist who lives in Cincinnati, wondered, “Is it because she’s a woman?”CreditAntony Hare

“It almost seems like it’s this clash of man versus woman. If you are a man and believe in red-blooded American things, then you vote for Trump. It seems like there is a real firm dividing line between one and the other.”

Easier to Support Obama

Mr. Jones, a food writer and stay-at-home father in Richmond, Va., who supported Mrs. Clinton during her 2008 primary campaign, said his support of Barack Obama during the 2008 and 2012 general elections was not nearly so problematic.

“It was easier to be an Obama supporter than a Hillary supporter,” Mr. Jones said. “I used to work in banking, and when a man was a vice president of a large group, he’d be called tough. The women who’d act in the same ways would be referred to as shrill or a bitch. Men in that position are viewed as strong, powerful. Women who are strong are seen as usurpers. Hopefully, as a country, we can change. And maybe if Hillary has two good terms, I think it would go a long way to change that.”

Bill Woods, a friend of Mr. Jones who lives outside Salem, Ore., is skeptical that sexism has a role in the lack of enthusiasm for Mrs. Clinton among white men. Mr. Woods, 51, who now lives off disability payments, was a Bernie Sanders supporter during primary season.

“There’s trepidation on my part,” said Mr. Woods, who does not have a college degree. “But I’m not so dumb as to want Trump in the White House to prove my point.

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“It can get lonely sometimes,” said Piet Jones, a Clinton supporter.CreditAntony Hare

“When you see a lot of progressives accused of being sexist with their vote and not liking the idea of a woman president, I think you’re missing the point that a lot of these men would have voted for Elizabeth Warren, if she had thrown her hat into the ring. If it was Elizabeth Warren, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Rich Norton, 36, who owns a small property management firm with his wife, Nissa, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., has a background in line with many Trump supporters. The youngest of five brothers and sisters, he couldn’t afford to go to college. He has worked many jobs throughout his life: managing movie theaters, delivering furniture and appliances.

“I just think it’s the people who didn’t go to college and didn’t experience a few things just get so jaded because they think nothing’s going to change for them,” Mr. Norton said of himself and his family members, who tend to vote Republican. “We’re all working-class stiffs, chasing paycheck to paycheck, and the process has worn them down.”

After saying that he “wasted” his first presidential vote by supporting Ralph Nader in 2000, he has voted Democratic since, supporting Barack Obama enthusiastically in 2008 and 2012. While demographics would suggest that he would be a likely supporter of the anti-establishment message of either Bernie Sanders or Mr. Trump, Mr. Norton said he liked the fact that Mrs. Clinton was a “career politician.”

“In my mind that’s a positive,” Mr. Norton said. “She didn’t quit when she lost the nomination the last time. She just went to work.”

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“I’ve been surprised by the vitriol,” said Wade Overstreet, who raises money for the ALS Association Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter.CreditAntony Hare

Mr. Norton’s stance has not gone over well with some of his family members.

“I’ve gotten into it with my brothers over it,” he said, noting that they support Mr. Trump. “It’s a lot of anger from the other side, because they don’t know the facts to back up their argument. I get frustrated, but it’s been years of this.”

The caustic, offensive comments made by Mr. Trump’s supporters at his often-rowdy rallies have done little to counter the notion that those who do not care for Mrs. Clinton are hung up on her gender.

But she stands apart from nearly every other woman who has sought political office, according to Melissa Deckman, the chair of the political science department at Washington College and an author of “Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence.”

“I think being a Clinton raises a lot of baggage in this election,” Dr. Deckman said. “A lot of people think that she and her husband play by their own rules. And she’s not a good campaigner. I don’t think it’s merely because she’s a woman. She’s not Barack Obama, and that translates on the stage.”

A Fan in Mississippi

In the 1990s, Wade Overstreet, 42, would have recoiled at the prospect of Mrs. Clinton taking the oath of office. He was raised Republican in Jackson, Miss. Two decades ago, he believed in the promise of the Newt Gingrich revolution. Later, he voted for George W. Bush. Twice.

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“I get frustrated,” said Rich Norton, who owns a small property management firm with his wife, Nissa, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.CreditAntony Hare

But Mr. Overstreet, who raises money for the ALS Association Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter, has changed since then — especially in regard to his views on women’s rights.

He traveled widely, and lived away from his home state for a number of years before moving back. In 2008 he voted Democratic for the first time in his life. Now, in one of the reddest states, he finds himself an outlier, part of one of the least likely demographics to support the Democratic nominee.

“It doesn’t register that a Southern white male would vote for Hillary,” Mr. Overstreet said. “And I think it speaks to the idea that she is not tough enough. But I think she is the tougher of the two candidates.”

Faith plays a role in his view of Mrs. Clinton, he said. Having grown up Southern Baptist, Mr. Overstreet remains a regular churchgoer, and he is put off by what he sees as the embrace of Mr. Trump by the evangelical right.

“She identifies herself as a Methodist, and I think it’s admirable that she does not blow a trumpet about her Christianity,” Mr. Overstreet said. “I’ll say this: Jesus instructed in the Bible that we not bring attention to ourselves when we pray, but instead we actually feed the hungry and help the poor and medicate the sick, and so Hillary’s vision for America is much more in line with my faith.”

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“I get so wound up about it,” said Steve Manning, a marketing and public relations consultant.CreditAntony Hare

Such sentiments have not gone over well with a majority of the people he knows, he said, most of whom back Mr. Trump. He has gotten negative reactions on Facebook for his posts in support of Mrs. Clinton, which he writes not because he believes he can change minds, but because he views the 2016 election as historic and he feels the need to be upfront with his opinions.

“I’ve caught flak for it, and I’ve been surprised by the vitriol,” Mr. Overstreet said. “When they try to make an argument, it’s enough for people to just say, ‘Benghazi,’ and that’s the end of it. It’s so visceral. It’s not based on fact.”

A man with a background much different from that of Mr. Overstreet is Steve Manning, a 51-year-old marketing and public relations consultant who has served as the public relations director for Sub Pop Records, working with bands like Mudhoney, Sleater-Kinney, the Shins and Band of Horses. Although he travels in liberal circles, he has faced criticism for being a strong “I’m With Her” guy.

The people he knows have a habit of casting Mrs. Clinton as the “lesser of two evils,” and Mr. Manning, who lives in Seattle, does not like that line. Not one bit.

“It’s funny, because even my wife sometimes will say things like, ‘Well, I don’t know,’” Mr. Manning said. “And I say, ‘What are you talking about?’ Everyone says it’s the best of bad choices. But she’s the best choice of anyone. I believe that this notion that people have when they say, ‘She’s better than Trump,’ is a joke.”

Many conversations he has had during the 2016 campaign have tested his patience.

“I end up getting really upset,” he said. “I say, ‘Well, you’re being sexist.’ People will say they aren’t, and I say, ‘Well, tell me why you’re not.’ But people don’t want to have that conversation. And because I get so wound up about it and can get pretty righteous, people just want the conversation to be over. I don’t think I change anybody’s mind. But I think I shut them up.”

Mr. Methe, the Cincinnati artist, has also found himself in heated conversations lately, even among friends. He said he bristles at those who say that Mrs. Clinton’s ambition is a negative. After all, he said, shouldn’t you want a president who actually wants to be president?

“You can make arguments about what her motivations are,” Mr. Methe said. “But this is a goal of hers, and she is not going to let other people deter her, and I think that motivation and that work ethic is highly motivating and highly desirable. Being a father of a preteen daughter, that is what I want her to see.”

“I want her to see a woman who is not going to get pushed around by a bunch of guys or is not going to take people bad-mouthing her and just take it lying down,” he continued. “If she gets knocked down, she is going to get back up and keep on fighting.”